The Israeli military said on Friday that Hamza Ziyadne, an Arab citizen of Israel held hostage in Gaza, had been killed in the Palestinian enclave, as efforts by mediators to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas to free him the hostages saw little success.
More than 15 months after the attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 provoked the war in Gaza, about 98 hostages remain in Gaza; around 36 are presumed dead by Israeli authorities.
Confirmation of Mr Ziyadne’s death comes just a day after family and friends buried his father, 53-year-old Youssef Ziyadne, who was also taken hostage. The Israeli military said their bodies were found together in a tunnel under the southern Gaza city of Rafah, alongside their dead captors. It was not clear when they were found.
Before they were found, neither hostage was designated as presumed dead by Israeli officials, who sought to use intelligence to assess the condition of the remaining hostages. That was likely to further exacerbate fears among the families of the remaining prisoners in Gaza that their relatives had already suffered the same fate.
It was not immediately clear how the Ziyadnes died: Some hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes, while Israel said others were executed by their captors. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said on Wednesday – after Youssef’s death was confirmed – that the army was still investigating.
The Arab citizens of Israel, like Mr. Ziyadne, were not spared in the attack of Hamas. At least 17 were killed and many others taken hostage. About 1,200 people were killed in the assault and 250 were taken hostage, according to Israel.
Many, like Mr. Ziyadne, belonged to the Bedouin Arab minority, a group that has long lived on the fringes of Israeli society. Historically nomadic pastoralists, many Bedouin now reside in a constellation of towns and villages throughout southern Israel, some of which lack basic government services such as running water and electricity.
Hamza Ziyadne, 23, was taken hostage alongside his father and two younger siblings, Bilal and Aisha, while at the Israeli kibbutz where his father worked. Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17, were released during a week-long truce in November 2023 in which 105 Israeli and foreign hostages – mostly women and children – were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
The Hostage Family Forum, which represents relatives of the prisoners, said Hamza Ziyadne was survived by his wife and two children. In a statement, the group described him as a “nature lover who had a deep affection for animals and was loved by his friends.”
“Four family members were kidnapped, with only two returning alive,” the group said in a statement. “Youssef and Hamza, who survived a period in the hell of Gaza captivity, could have been saved by an earlier agreement.”
Months of efforts to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas in a ceasefire and hostage release agreement have failed to bear fruit. Qatar and Egypt led the talks, which are also being mediated by the Biden administration.
On Thursday, Mr. Biden said that “real progress” had been made in the negotiations, without providing further details. Officials on all sides have repeatedly expressed optimism about a breakthrough in recent months, only to see hopes dashed a few days later over new obstacles.
For months, Israel and Hamas have been setting seemingly irreconcilable conditions for a deal. Hamas has demanded an end to the war and a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal to release hostages. Israeli leaders have said they will not end the war until Hamas is destroyed in Gaza and have vowed to maintain supreme security control there.
Michael D. Shear in Washington contributed reporting.
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2025-01-10 12:25:00
